I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook
by Jesus.Lives
Summary: Nico starts getting the rumblings of a Hades-like plan to acquire the the girl that's struck his interest during Percy and Annabeth's wedding. Thalico / Thico some Percabeth. Completed - Epilogue or Sequel pending requests.
1. I Go To A Wedding

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, Nico would get his own book and Thalico would become canon.

A/N. This pairing has been haunting me. There's just something about it. This is set during a proposed Percabeth wedding when Percy and Annabeth are around 20 years old.

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**I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook**

**I Go To A Wedding**

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Hades never sat down and pouted when he didn't get what he wanted. Hades took it. Nico was taking a long time to learn that lesson. That he could take whatever he wanted… he was the son of Hades. Why should he wait? Why should he pout about things that could so easily be his with a bit of force?

The wedding was beautiful by the time the day actually came. Everyone knew it was going to be. There were less monster attacks interrupting it than expected as well, especially since the magic walls were down to allow the mortal families of Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase through for the celebrations. There was just the one thing, the huntresses attending for Thalia was to be one of Annabeth's bridesmaids caused no small stir. Although no more of a stir than Tyson as Percy's best man (Grover had to settle for sharing the role otherwise there would be one great blubbering cyclops for the entire wedding party to deal with).

Nico wasn't part of the wedding party directly but they had put him in charge of decorating the area commanding the other campers and undead soldiers at his disposal. That would have all been well had Thalia Grace not come up to him on occasion and outright told him that he did a poor job at leadership and that he would never be done in time if she didn't take over the operation. Thalia should have had a job of her own to take care of for the wedding but she would have none of it.

Their confrontations didn't go unnoticed either. The younger campers were placing bets on which of the two children of the big three would come out unharmed from their quarreling. Sparks flew, along with threats but nothing came of it… and by the time the vows were recited it was all forgotten. Seemingly. Nico avoided looking at Thalia as she stood up there, her beautiful, ageless huntress self until she gave him a grin and he felt his stomach do a bit of a flop. He avoided her all throughout after the dancing and celebrations had been going on for some time and he was at his table alone playing scissors, paper, rock with a skeleton he summoned up for company.

She finally sought him out again and flopped beside him. "Have you ever danced before?"

_'Hi Nico, how are you? Great not to be biting your head off for a change.'_ He gave her a dark look. "Dancing is stupid." Unless he was making skeletal soldiers dance because that was defiantly more cool than stupid, although Nico had pretty much held the same opinions on things like dancing since he was ten. Now he was sixteen, an accomplished hero who had been on plenty of quests (just not as many as Percy had) and he didn't need to be told what to do like it was his first time at camp.

"Come on." Thalia pulled him up out of his seat minding the skeleton and started jumping around frantically with him in tow until the song ended and a slower one began, probably quite opportunely because jumping around like she was front row at a concert did very little for the people caught in the way of her limbs. Now settled though her hands sought his waist and Nico was just about ready to change his mind entirely about how stupid dancing was. The girl he had known since that day they revealed him as a demigod, close friend of Percy and Annabeth's and one of the last people to see his sister alive was all but melding into him – not repulsed by his company of the dead, not disgusted by the fact he wore a suit that probably looked like it was stolen off a corpse it was so out of date in its style. Most importantly though she was not yelling at him and trying to take over his duties, treating him like a ten year old again even though she was supposed to be younger than he was now. Dancing was an exception for Thalia because this was a special day for two of her friends and there was much more of a relaxed atmosphere to it than any of the days before it, where she was more taken with living like a lieutenant than letting loose.

"Good. I lost Tyson. He was looking to dance the next dance with me since Percy wasn't going to let his brother have Annabeth for any longer today." Thalia pulled a face and Nico deadpanned. He really lacked a sense of humor most times. "Weird they're married. Always knew it was going to happen though. Annabeth had something different with Percy, not like Percy and me. Half the time I didn't know if we were going to be friends or enemies. He's a good guy though." Thalia blabbered into Nico's neck as they danced; keeping it casual and friend-like even though it was hard for Nico to see it that way.

It was his first dance. She was paying attention to him. She radiated that huntress energy that marked Bianca when she became one of them… something that was so irritating to Nico at first, but something that grew on him quickly. As he realized there was a certain spark to the girls that made you covert it the more and more you saw it; like gold dust sprinkled all over the skin, not that Thalia wouldn't have still been beautiful without it.

"Yeah, he's always been great on the quests I've been on with him." Nico emphasized that _'I've'_ as if to say: _'I'm not a little kid anymore, I've gone on plenty of quests.'_ He was seeking her approval, but not just that, he wanted a little recognition that he had in fact grown up now (respect would have been nice as well, but he would take what he could get).

"I know about the quests, I've had to help you two out of a bind a few times," Thalia provoked with a forked tongue but a jovial attitude.

Nico grit his teeth. "Once."

"The dragon hatchling. So, twice. It was only a hatchling I don't know why two accomplished heroes like yourselves couldn't handle it."

"We did handle it, I just…" He sighed, defeated. "Got tired."

"Not tired now? It's almost bedtime surely Ghost King."

It was four in the afternoon and Nico was not thrilled about the jibe.

"Time to rest in peace…" she continued and she just couldn't lay off the death jokes for five seconds of being with him. He supposed that kept them from discussing weightier topics like the huntresses, Bianca, their fathers who acted like they wanted to kill each other far more than Nico and Thalia ever did that week.

He would have rolled his eyes but he was nervous, she was still touching him lightly (leaving goosebumps under his suit), grinning at him with that wicked grin of hers and making him feel like lightning was going to start coming from his own fingertips with the power that he felt just holding her in his arms.

Persephone did tell Nico that he would never be content with the easy girl, no one from cabin Aphrodite more specific to the advice. That like his father he wanted a challenge. Those words had meant absolutely nothing to the young Nico until that very moment. "You're hot." He blurted out suddenly like he was a kid about to start boasting about his games again and just said whatever came to his mind about all the new and exciting things he was experiencing. Sometimes, even now at sixteen, Nico could just not hold back.

Thalia's eyes widened and she misstepped putting down a foot on his toes with some strength, causing the tear ducts in the corner of his eyes to loosen the tiniest amount. So much for not appearing like a little kid in front of her again, because a tear trickled down and he probably looked pretty foolish (even though she was the one to stamp on him!).

"Not that, you weren't hot before, I just never noticed because you were always too busy barking orders" he couldn't help himself from digging himself a shallow grave, bumbling through his conversation as if it was his first time ever to Camp Half Blood all over again and his excitement was getting the better of him. "Did you want to go for a walk?" He was hopeful. Stupidly. In hindsight he should have known his request would be flat out denied. He should have asked her to play video games instead that would have sounded much less like he wanted a date.

"I have duties." Thalia responded stiffly and pushed him away as the song ended, storming off toward the other huntresses who were being taught a lavish dance by the nymphs.

Nico didn't take the Hades course of action when she left. He sat down and pouted until Grover found him and forced him to watch him do a jig. Scowling Nico watched as Thalia hugged Annabeth and Percy for a monstrous amount of time and then made her exit, her eyes went in a line straight past him as she turned and left. She was followed immediately by her liege and Nico's face grew glummer and glummer. What was that his step-mother had told him? That he sought a challenge and there was no greater challenge than the daughter of Zeus, lieutenant of the huntresses.

Grover could tell Nico wasn't really paying attention to his little dance and he sat beside him, following the trail of his eyes to the last huntress that was leaving. "They're really something, those girls. An expensive jewel behind a glass case that no one can ever open." It was foreboding, but Grover was speaking with some experience. Any that fell for a huntress were just bound to get themselves caught like a thief trying to rob a jewelry store. "Hey, I got eyes in the back of my head man," No he didn't. Grover had been too busy trying to impress his girlfriend and her friends with that jig and when they just laughed at him he came to get Nico's advice on what was wrong with it. But he was intuitive enough to know that the ever headstrong and commanding Thalia had to be behind this. "This is about you and Thalia Grace? Heard she was treating you like a real kid." And Grover knew all about 'kids' too. "So whatchu going to do about it?"

Grover meant to get even with her but Nico was not thinking along those lines. "I will make her mine." He answered firmly, expressionless and Grover let out a low whistle.

"Your funeral man," he told him before getting up and clamping a hand on Nico's shoulder then running off to show the jig again to anyone that would give him the time of day (and not be moping over unattainable huntresses). But Nico was determined now. The pouting was over with and it was time to show the world what a true son of Hades was made of.

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	2. I Kidnap The Huntress Lieutenant

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, Nico would get his own book and Thalico would become canon.

A/N. I felt inspired to write more. I bring you chapter two:

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**I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook**

**I Kidnap The Huntress Lieutenant **

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Thalia was just out for a walk- or preparing to leave? Regardless, Nico had been watching and now was the last chance he had to make his move. She couldn't get him with lightning if he took her underground… and that was all he had planned. Really he didn't know how he was going to get out of this thing alive once he actually went through with it but he couldn't just let her go. He'd rather risk the epic ass kicking from her than to see her leave and not come back to the camp until something really devastating happened and everything between them was potentially different.

He wouldn't do that. Against all cost he would make her see that he wasn't just a little boy anymore and that if anyone was worthy of her he could be (and that he might have just learned a few tricks from Hades along his journey into his teenage years). Nico still had remaining angry feelings about Zeus but it didn't stop him from having completely unique feelings about his daughter too. Somehow Nico felt that Hades would be on his side, rooting for him to win the heart of the Zeus offspring… not because he cared about Nico's feelings for her, but because he would have wanted to see Nico succeed through his own dark methods. At least there was one deity in his corner, even though it was that one didn't have pure motives (ever).

Nico stepped out in front of her, hands in his pockets and attempting to act 'casual', a style that didn't really suit him. He wasn't good at casual; he was far too serious for that. "Thalia."

She shrugged, trying to keep from being shocked by his sudden appearance. Nico tended to do that, just appear like he'd risen from the earth. "'Til next time Dead Boy."

"You can't leave."

"And just why is that?"

"Because we haven't resolved anything yet."

"Resolved what?" Thalia snorted, denying the fact that he was right. She would much rather get out of camp half blood now before any 'resolutions' between herself and the son of Hades saw the light of day. Besides, he was making a big deal out of nothing. They had danced and it was precisely why the huntresses spent little company with men – _boys_. They always blew things out of proportion. It was a wedding, people were supposed to dance. Likewise their interaction all week hadn't meant all that much in Thalia's opinion either. She just clashed with Nico. Not the same way as she'd ever clashed with Percy, Nico was far easier to control. She took pleasure in bickering with him, it was never as serious as fighting was with Percy.

"You know what." He was irritated but didn't elaborate.

"No. I don't. It was a wedding Nico. People dance."

It felt like a rejection. Nico took it hard. He always took all the little rejections hard, but it made him all the more determined to go through with his plan. She would see. And if she didn't then he'd face the punishment of the camp – something Hades would get him out of. He'd earn a special place with his father for something like this. Kidnapping the child of Zeus who he seemed to be in eternal conflict with. "Why did you dance with me? To pretend that we're friends?"

"We're on the same side Dead Boy. Don't forget that." Thalia made a move to go past him but Nico gave the signal. Soldiers advanced. The kept popping up from the ground all around her and Thalia could only fight off so many before attempting a whistle to signal the huntresses. Nico and the surrounding shadows pulled her underground just as the whistle got out. He had a place prepared, where he usually went deep under his cabin. The ground level of the Hades cabin was just for show. The real cabin began deep under the soil, carved out by skeletal soldiers and decorated surprisingly nicely.

"What are you trying to do? Start a war between our parents?" Thalia spat at him as she took in the lanterns lighting up the dark underground space and the fact that she'd better start tunnelling if she hoped to get out of there anytime soon.

"I don't want you to leave." He stated rather sheepishly at how extreme his methods were. He would never have the confidence of his father, no matter what plans he imitated.

"We have to leave. We don't live a camp half blood." Thalia was sympathetic instead of fighting. Maybe he just felt a connection with her because of Bianca. Thalia could understand that.

"But you haven't even given me a chance yet." The words seemed immature even before they left his mouth.

"I'm not supposed to give you a chance. That's why the huntresses have their oath. You know that… Bianca took it." Her commanding voice was a lot more tentative, careful when bringing up such a sensitive subject but it needed to be done.

"Was she any better for taking it? Are you any better for taking it?" Nico slumped against a cave wall.

"You know why I took it, because I didn't want to be a weapon. I wasn't going to be used. And I do love what I do now Nico."

"You just love the power."

Thalia let out a scornful laugh. "Don't you? You're holding me captive here so you must…"

"Stop being a huntress for one night and I'll let you go."

"They'll find me before that." Her eyes were hard and challenging as they bore into his. "What's this really about?"

"You – you like me." He smirked finally. A weary smirk but his first self-confident one all the same.

"Dream on Dead Boy. Are you really that hard up for a girlfriend you need to kidnap a huntress?"

Nico didn't let the taunts get to him. "Nope. You're the only one I considered kidnapping."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "You've certainly inherited Hades' ego while I've been away from this place."

"One chance. Is it a deal?"

Thalia seriously doubted that Nico could win her over in such a short amount of time, but she had to admit, the kid had guts… she liked that, she like that more than she'd dare to say aloud. "Sure thing Shorty. Let's get this over with so I can leave already." He was kind of creepy too, perhaps that reminded her of Luke after he went crazy trying to kill everyone. There was nothing wrong with the right dose of creepiness. Nico gave his signal and skeletons released Thalia, leaving her hands to go and rub her sore wrists.

"So what's the plan? Dinner a la the undead? Making out in shackles in the depths of the underworld?" Both were jokes, if he even understood what sarcasm was but it seemed like she'd just given him ideas.

"You like games don't you?" He said after some consideration. This was all a game, and that would be how he'd win her over… and she'd be eternally his.

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**This might end tragically. Review and let me know your preferences for the fairy tale or tragic ending!**


	3. I Tell of Deep Experiences

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, Nico would get his own book and Thalico would become canon.

A/N. There's a reason Nico doesn't have many friends. I bring you chapter three:

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**I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook**

**I Tell of Deep Experiences**

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"Mythomagic? Honesty?"

"Would you rather it be chess? A good deal of people in the underworld play chess."

"At this rate you're going to bore me to death before the huntresses pull me out of here."

Nico scowled. He knew she was just prompting a fight but it was what they did best – fight with each other. "I know a more challenging game to play – list three things you'd want to do before you die."

"Get out of this hell hole? You do realize how redundant this is for me don't you?"

"I can't kill you but I can make you feel death. Just go with it."

"I want to see my father crack a joke, I don't know. I can't even imagine death anymore Little Nicky. Guess the game is over."

"Little Nicky?"

"Yeah, you remember that Adam Sandler movie?"

"That movie sucked."

"It was pretty bad." Thalia paused. "So how are you going to make me experience death? Make me watch that movie again?"

This got a laugh out of Nico, but until for a certain amount of time before he let the shadows engulf her and drag her down under the surface. Dirt entered her mouth and nostrils before she had a chance to stop it, eyelids were the next to cloud up and Thalia was cold from the shadow. Breathing was struggled and it felt like horrible, horrible torture. She had asked for it though. It felt like decades until he let her back up to the surface of the cave and she shook the dirt from her cavities and launched herself at him going for a punch to his jaw. "You psychopath! What was that for?"

"Ow! To make you understand! Get off me Thalia!" He was trying to palm her away but she had him on the ground, herself on top of him and swinging wildly. He just needed to give the word and he would have her restrained but somehow he felt he deserved the blows. He felt hollow and empty inside enough; the blows didn't make him feel much else.

Eventually she got sick of trying to hurt him. "You're not worth it." She stated venomously.

"Now you know what it's like to feel death." His ribs hurt from her weight on him but it didn't make him feel any less empty. "You feel helpless, trapped. It's looming always, sucking the life out of you. I've felt like that a lot. Not with you, fighting with you this week – the dance at the wedding… it was like someone struck a match inside of me. It burns but at least I feel something again." The words were deep but the voice lacked expression. "This is one on my list of three things, because you make me feel like this… when I'm with you." That only sounded lame when he said it aloud, but no matter now it was said.

Thalia scooted off of him and he backed up against the side of the underground room. "It felt horrible. I kept hoping I'd keep from going insane down there, mostly so I could kick your ass when I got free again." She struggled with a small grin which he returned.

"I didn't tell you to stop kicking my butt."

"Masochist."

He reached for her hand and wrenched her over to him – and she didn't fight it. Not this time. She could just hurt him worse if she so decided. "Sadist."

"So you're admitting I'm stronger than you?" Thalia was intrigued.

"Yeah. It'd be stupid not to. You probably left bruises all over my face." And he was helpless without his soldiers. "So now you've felt death, what would you want to do since you're alive?"

"Get my father to crack some jokes… shame Percy…" _'Kiss you_'. She didn't say that, but she might have just thought it before she got the better of herself. His eyes were soulless; his smell musty like something that had been hanging in a closet with moths making holes in it for several years yet there was an attractive quality to the death around him, to the power he wielded. There was even an attractive quality to how indelibly naïve he was.

"You need a third."

Thalia gulped with the gravity of it all. "Say goodbye to my huntresses."

Maybe it took on a double meaning, as if she wanted to leave them now because she'd decided on him. Maybe Nico just wanted to see it that way. "I can grant all of those wishes." His fingers linked in with hers and she was inches away now. He started closing the gap, pressing his luck.

She put a hand on his chest to stop him with a verbal warning, "Nico".

"I thought you were cool when I was ten, Zeus was always one of my favorites being so powerful. When I was thirteen I thought you were a little more than cool. But now…"

"I thought you were a little dweeb." She laughed. "But you were alright."

"And now?"

"You're your father's greatest protégé. Dead Boy, you're heading to dangerous places – kidnapping people. It's not good."

"I'm not. I told you this was the only time."

"Whatever, I'm not responsible for you." She had her own responsibilities, besides, indifference distanced herself and distance from Nico di Angelo was something she really needed at this point in time.

"I'm not asking you to be." His eyes looked even darker if that was possible from under his glowering eyebrows. This time he wasn't going to let her stop him and if she put a hand on his chest he'd just force against it. He brought his face to hers again, his lips to hers. Thalia did nothing to stop it, but her grip on his hand tightened as if she was trying to get through something very painful, or more appropriately as if she was trying not to feel it, not to experience it in any way. At first it wasn't what you could describe as 'magical' because she was resisting so much. Though when he brought his other hand around to her arm to draw her closer to him, the resistance weakened. She wasn't supposed to be experiencing her first kiss ever… it was never supposed to happen. Nico was changing the course of nature – the course of the fates and it could only end badly.

The kiss which had been him moving against her rigid form grew deeper as Thalia threw caution to the winds and kissed back. Nico didn't want it to end, but at least when it did he'd still be physically close to her.

"You punk kid," she muttered when it did end, a half smile on her face.

"You punk huntress." He was smiling too, so much his face might crack. "I hear it's better a second time."

"Nico, there's not going to be a second…" But she was cut off by thrusting her back again to him and claiming her lips for his own. She pushed him away with considerable force. "I said NO!"

Perhaps she was harder won than Nico had considered. He was affronted.

"Your sister never knew when to draw the line either."

Though that last comment possibly made about Bianca's impetuous move that led to her death ended the moment. Nico's eyes burned. The soldiers came up out of the ground to his unspoken request and grabbed hold of Thalia. "Take her away. I'm done with her." He told them, as if she were a toy that he'd grown sick of playing with.

Thalia looked on him with hurt in her eyes. "No, wait-"she began, but it was too late. She was sucked up through the earth to the early morning hours of Nico's cabin at Camp Half Blood. He didn't get to choose to end it just like this. Thalia would find him and when she did… he would pay for unkidnapping her.

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**It'll make Nico less emo. Just kidding. Even reviews can't make miracles.**


	4. I Make Artemis Give the Harsh News

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, Nico would get his own book and Thalico would become canon.

A/N. Things get worse for Thalia. I bring you chapter four:

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**I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook**

**I Make Artemis Give the Harsh News**

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She wasn't supposed to want to be back there with him. She was supposed to want her freedom. When she came and made herself known to the camp Artemis was there, clearly distressed at the temporary absence of one of her own. Thalia couldn't even fake being glad to be back. Although she vowed to Artemis to go right back to work after declining to explain what (or who) caused her absence. She did remember what Nico had said, about feeling empty with that death experience because it shed some light on what she was feeling now. Hollow inside. She wanted to get Nico all over again for making her feel so miserable like this – empathizing with him. Thalia had never done empathy very well, so now it felt forced upon her… like anything else she was feeling for the son of Hades that she was hiding deep inside her. Thalia began readying the huntresses to leave again while Artemis was in talking with Cherion. It was only after a few hours, right before goodbyes were to be said for good this time and departure was imminent that Thalia decided to ask Artemis if she could talk with her alone.

"Nico Di Angelo – remember? Bianca's brother? – he kidnapped me." It was better to talk about it before they left and Thalia might be doomed to be stuck feeling weird for an eternity. "I danced with him at the wedding but I didn't mean anything by it – you know… _boys_."

"I somehow knew this would happen, and not just from Apollo's snide remarks about it either." Artemis gave Thalia an assessing look, checking that this really was the time she had to let one of her best huntresses go from the hunt. "We could only protect you for so long, from something dangerous becoming your destiny, Thalia. Although I always hoped you'd stay."

Thalia was speechless, she hadn't considered leaving, at least not seriously entertained the idea although it seemed all the more obvious choice now. Words dried up in her throat. "Oh." It was a hard pill to swallow. "No. He's insane, like he wants to infuriate the gods. I wouldn't…"

"You have already," her protests were too weak to be taken seriously. "Rahina has been training to take your place. We felt measures were necessary."

"But-"

"Hush Thalia. I would have been against you coming to this wedding if I couldn't accept the inevitable."

Thalia felt touched and overwhelmed all at once. "I don't- I don't want to abandon you. I made an oath, a pledge to the hunt."

"Consider it revoked." Tears fell and Artemis reached out to touch Thalia's cheek. "You can come back any time but I don't believe you're going to. Your place is here now - enjoy it."

"Isn't there anything I can do?"

"No. You've already done so much. If he hurts you let us know so we can tear him limb from limb."

"I will…"

Thalia had no more words, just tears as the huntresses made final arrangements to leave then took off into the sky. Now Nico was really going to face her wrath for all of this. He would pay like nothing else.

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	5. I Catch A Very Lucky Break

Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. If I did, Nico would get his own book and Thalico would become canon.

A/N. Thalia is more distraught than anything, Nico's skin is saved by that, lol. I bring you chapter five:

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**I Take a Page From Hades' Playbook**

**I Catch a Very Lucky Break**

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She was gone. He had been such an idiot. Now she probably hated him and would never come back to Camp Half Blood again. Other people would blame him when they found out what he'd done and even though he thrived off her company it hadn't been worth all this expected backlash. It had been stealing- taking her company like that without her will… not to mention kissing her. Yeah, he almost wished she had fried him because letting her go like that was even worse. It just caused him to beat himself up about it and he was better at torturing himself than anything she could throw at him.

He took almost all day to make it out of his cabin even though there had been knocks. When he finally did make it out to go to the cafeteria area because he couldn't starve himself all day – he was already thin enough as it was – his shoulders slumped and his feet barely shuffled over there. There were other people there; it was dinner time and Nico's eyes scanned over the other demigods. Percy and Annabeth were gone for a few days, but they were married now – eating at the Camp Half Blood cafeteria would have been lame for a married couple to do, especially right after the wedding. The girls of Aphrodite began giggling when he walked past their table, probably making fun of him for sleeping in all day. He paused as his eye caught something, a figure sitting with Cherion and some of the staff. Was he just seeing what he wanted to see? As if feeling his stare at the nape of her neck she turned her head and locked eyes with him.

Thalia.

Her expression dropped. He was suddenly tempted to turn and run but she'd find him wherever he went, he had a feeling if she wanted to kill him she would have barged into his cabin and destroyed him right there. No, she had a more devious plan in dealing with this. That's what she had to be still here for – talking with the staff for. Her eyes flashed and she left where she was to approach him. If he needed to he would go deep into the underworld to get help, because it was looking as if he'd need it. She'd been crying. Nico could see the redness of her eyes.

"I despise you." Though there wasn't hate on her flushed face in the slightest, just a lot of sadness which made Nico feel even more horrid.

"I know! I shouldn't have!" He blurted out in a move to save his own skin. "It's just I really thought it would work…" Egg on his face because looking at it now he couldn't imagine how he ever could have thought that.

"Well cheer up Ghost King, it did work."

"Huh?" Now that wasn't funny, it was just cruel. He appraised her and couldn't tell if she was tempted to kill him or not, her face was too flushed to tell.

"Three things I want to do before I die. One: Fly and not be scared, not even afterwards. Two: Host the first demigod reality tv show. Three: Terrify the son of Hades by chariot racing him on our first date."

"Huh?" Now that really wasn't funny, it was just cruel.

"Remember that horrible sinking feeling you made me experience by trying to bury me alive? I felt that last night when you forced me to leave." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I wasn't all that hyped about feeling it for all eternity, though I'm pretty sure I made the wrong choice staying here."

"Yeah, you probably did." Nico beamed at her despite the fact that the wrong choice was him, not believing his luck. "Wait. Does this mean your birthday is tomorrow then? You joined the hunt the day before you were sixteen."

"I guess I have a new birthday then. I hadn't thought about it. There was enough on my mind deciding whether a heart stopping bolt of lightning or a singe your eyebrows off bolt of lightning would do you more good."

Nico ignored the threat part of her sentence, he'd won – he wasn't going to let a chance of painful death get him down. "I'll make sure you get something for it. Tyson, Grover, Juniper, Rachael and I can have a party for you."

"Not sure I feel like a party. I never thought I'd turn sixteen - seems bittersweet now." She wiped away a tear that was escaping; Thalia didn't like crying in front of anyone. She couldn't have felt any weaker than she felt now but she felt helpless without the huntresses and the life she expected with them. "And I blame you, so you'd better make it up to me."

It was safe to say Nico was a little hot under his collar now, but seeing her so upset was much worse than the constant threats to his safety. "It is bittersweet but that's how it always happens. Like how I know you from one of the most horrible experiences of my life. I used to be bitter about it, but now I have something good out of it. I have this," he grabbed her hand, "_we_ have this."

"I guess Artemis was right." Thalia smiled again through all the sadness, "I had to make the choice I did. I needed it to happen like this, who else would put up with a son of Hades whose social decorum means kidnapping people?"

"Who else would put up with a daughter of Zeus that feels she has to take over the entire wedding decorating committee?"

"Watch it. I can still change my mind Dead Boy." Thalia clenched a fist and raised it to him, she was serious too – the offer for the huntresses still stood. But at Nico's pouting she took a little pity on him. "I like you Zombie Brain, probably liked you even before the wedding."

"Me too, I even liked you ordering me around."

"I didn't like you kidnapping me. There were better ways…"

"Yeah, but what's a son of Hades to do?"

"Kiss me." The cafeteria was mostly full and eyes were on them something that didn't escape their notice now, they hadn't been talking all that loudly but there were probably a couple of students that overheard them. "After we get outside."

Nico might have been in there to eat but he could go a little longer before wasting away to nothingness. _A little_. Besides, kissing the girl who until a day ago was completely out of his reach was well worth starving a little longer.

They moved far from where everyone was and Nico finally embraced her. It was the first time in a while that he felt things going right for him. Maybe it wasn't only Percy Jackson that got a happy ending in the long run. Maybe Nico could too. His lips met hers and his hands went to her short hair. Food? What food? Nico hardly remembered a time that he placed any importance on food now; eating had become the last of his priorities. "Happy New Birthday Thalia."

"Thanks Nico." Her lips went back to his after the momentary interruption. "This had better not be my present…" Some food for thought for him before she continued kissing him as though she may never get a chance to experience this ever again… as if she'd now discovered how precious every last second of life was… and surely by Nico, she did. She didn't want to make him pay anymore, though she'd make it known how she would if he ever thought to leave her or cast her away again.

Artemis had known all along, and fate had run its course… right into the arms of Nico di Angelo and it was where she would stay for a long time. Speaking of Artemis…

"You know Artemis promised to tear you limb from limb if you do anything to make me mad again Squirt."

"…"

Thalia laughed but Nico was genuinely scared.

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**Review to let me know if this fic should continue past this point.**

**Epilogue? You decide.**


	6. Grover Calls Percy and Annabeth

A/N. This is the last of it. Again if you want an epilogue with the party, or further into the future, let me know via that review button... or if you want a whole sequel, you must ask to receive.

If not, I hope you've enjoyed and let me know what you think!

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**This is a phone call between Grover, Percy and Annabeth. It takes place the day after the previous events.**

**Events take place in real time. **(Lol).

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**G: **Hey guys, how's the honeymoon? **::Grover makes kissing noises through the phone.::**

**P: **Not bad. Good fish entertainment.

**G: **Oh man, don't tell me you brought her to…

**P: **The Aquamarine Gala.

**G: **Did she actually want to go there?

**P: **Of course she did. Plus, I've got a lifetime pass.

**G: **Yeah, I know**.**

**P: **What have you been up to there?

**G: **Just having a party for Thalia's birthday.

**P: **It'snotThalia's birthday- hey, Thalia doesn't even HAVE birthdays!

**G: **She does now. It was really great, Clarisse, Juniper, Rachael, Tyson – everyone was there, you'll be sorry you missed it.

**A: **Hi Grover it's Annabeth. How did this happen? Thalia doesn't even have birthdays! Did she get kicked out of the hunt? Did she leave the hunt? That wouldn't be the best decision, Thalia liked her duties in the hunt!

**G: **Whatever happened, it's Nico's fault I suspect he's going to get a visit from one of the big three. The one that's name starts with Ze and ends in Us.

**P: **Nico? What did Nico do?

**A: **Seaweed Brain get your own phone!

**P: **This is my phone!

**G: **Yeah, they're an item now. Both went missing after the wedding. People were really worried. Except me, yeah, didn't think Nico had the moves though.

**A: ::Annabeth laughs hard into the receiver:: **Nico and Thalia? Did you forget when April Fool's Day was Grover?

**G: **No. I didn't forget. I got Perce real good last Fool's Day. But this, this is 100 percent real on the tail of Pan. Nico made sure everyone knew it by having Thalia followed with skeletal soldiers the whole time, until she almost bolted him for it.

**P**: Haha! What an idiot. Would have been smarter if he left things the way they were. Thalia's going to make his life a living hell.

**A: **That's not fair Percy. Nico's no more adjusted than she is.

**G: **I don't know, they seem… happy.

**P: ::Percy laughs:: **Now I really don't believe you. Thalia was happy being a huntress and Nico's only happy when he's cooking up devious schemes.

**G: **It's a different kind of happy. I dunno, gotta see it to believe it man.

**P: **Yeah, I guess we have to. I guess this will get the gods off our backs for a while. It's good thinking if Nico planned it that way, I should bring him back a group of operatic sea mussels.

**A: **You're not packing those things in our suitcase Seaweed Brain!

**P: **They sing well. See how she nags me, Grov–ow!

**G: **Grovow? Well, I've got to go. Thalia's made a list of things about Camp Half Blood she wants changed as long as she's living here again and I'm the one who has to deal with it. I think she forgets that she just turned sixteen yesterday.

**A: **Give the new couple our best.** ::A snicker::**

**P: **Thalia does remember last time we saw her she called Nico immature doesn't she?

**G: **Yeah, like Annabeth has never once called you immature.

**P: **You're a terrible best friend.

**G: **See you later man.

**P: **You too!

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******Sequel? Party epilogue?**

Or not?

Either way, let me know what you think!


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